Laminated foot elevator for shoes



Jan. 25, 1955 H, A BEYER LAMINATED FOOT ELEVATOR FOR SHOES Filed July 30, 1951 4 INVENTOR. HERMAN BEVER BY ATTORNEY United States Patent O LAMINATED FOOT ELEVATOR FOR SHOES Herman A. Beyer, Oakland, Calif.

Application July 30, 1951, Serial No. 239,319

2 Claims. (Cl. 36-71) This invention relates to elevators for ,the human foot in shoes, and more particularly relates to such devices which provide a plurality of superposed laminated layers or laminae relatively fixed at a heel end portion and having sliding relation for the remainder of the length thereof.

The invention may be briey described as comprising an elevating device for the human foot within the shoe, the device having a plurality of superposed layers or laminae of flexible material, such as leather, in which the superposed layers collectively are of greatest height at the heel portion and the layers being graduated in length from shortest layers at the bottom or sole to longest layers at the top whereby the elevator gradually decreases in height and increases in exibility from its heel portion to its opposite end. The layers are ixedly secured relatively at the heel portion and are free' for relative sliding movement in superficial contact from the heel portion to the opposite forward ends of the layers, so that the layers may flex and slide relatively by the bending of a foot within a shoe. At the forward ends the layers are cut transversely on a bias to the plane thereof so that they taper to substantially sharp relatively imbricated edges, and the tapered exposed faces of the layers collectively provide a bottom sole face of the elevator device.

An object of the invention isto provide an elevator for fitting within a shoe for the human foot which will elevate the foot at the heel of the shoe where the sole and heel of the shoe are rigid and which tapers in height gradually to the opposite end at the ball of the foot in the shoe and will provide a graduated flexibility from the heel portion towards its said opposite end at the position underlying the ball of the foot, whereby the sole of the shoe may flex normally underlying the ball of the foot between the toes and the arch.

One form in which the invention may be embodied is disclosed and described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical section of the elevator of the invention in its normal environment within a shoe, a foot within the shoe being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the elevator.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the device of the invention at a formative stage before shaping to conform to the inner shape of a shoe in the manner shown in Figs. l and 2.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views, indicates generally a conventional shoe preferably of the so-called high type, in which there are a conventional flexible upper portion 11 which may extend a distance above the ankle of the wearer, a sole 12, a shank 13, and a heel 14. In making shoes it is uniform practice to form the inner face of the heel slightly concave to conform to the rounded bottom face of the human heel of the wearer, the concavity being both longitudinal as shown in Fig. 1 and transverse as shown in Fig. 3.

The foot elevator device of the invention is generally indicated 15 and comprises a plurality of superposed layers or laminae of flexible material, such as leather, indicated 16a, b, c, d, e, f, and g, preferably of substantially uniform thickness and in superficial planar contact. The superposed layers collectively provide a Uri itl

0 manifested in the greater length of the exposed bottom,

2,790,230 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 rearward heel portion 17, a central shank portion 18, and a forward ball portion 19. The layers are of substantially the same maximum transverse width but graduate in length, the bottom layer 16g being the shortest longitudinally of the elevator, the uppermost layer 16a being the longest, with intermediate layers 16h, c, de, and f being graduated in length therebetween, whereby the thickness of the elevator is decreased from the heel portion 17 through the shank portion 1S and to the ball portion 19. The length of the layers is not necessarily graduated evenly in the same ratio when the elevator is conformed to a shoe as in Fig. l, since it is preferred that the upper layers 16a, b and c shall, when in the formed elevator, have greater length of exposed bottom area than the intermediate layers 16d, e, and f, as shown in Fig. 2.

At the heel portion 17 the superposed layers are tixedly secured together by any suitable binding means, such as bolt 20 centrally therethrough. The head 21 and the nut 22 of the bolt are countersunk into the respective top and bottom layers, preferably sufficiently to provide recesses 23 of minor depth which may be iilled with any suitable material such as a hard drying plastic 24 to disguise the bolt and fill the recesses 21 flush with the outer planar face of the respective layers 16a and 16g into which the head and nut of the bolt are embedded. Throughout the remainder of their length the layers are free of fixed connection whereby they may iiex relatively in superficial planar contact, the flexibility increasing in gradations from the heel portion proportionate to the decrease of collective thickness of the assembled layers in the elevator. At the free ends each layer is cnt transversely on a tapered bias from the bottom face to the upper face, as best shown at 25 in Fig. 5, so that the terminal free end of each layer is feathered to a relatively sharp edge, the end portions being imbricated at the anterior ends, so that upon bending of the shoe and the consequent bending of the ele-` vator the layers liex and slide upon one another as indicated by hidden stippling in Fig. 2. The major flexing is at the ball portion 19, a minor flexing at the shank portion 18 and substantially no flexing at the heel portion 17. Due to the tapered bias cut of the layers at the free end portion of the layers, the tapered face portions 25 of the layers, particularly at longitudinal center line of the elevator, are substantially straightly aligned in a plane and provide the bottom sole face of the elevator forwardly of the heel. But due to the construction in flexible layers from the sole face to the top, not only does the elevator iiex with the bending of the foot in the shoe, but it also flexes to conform to the shape of the plane of the insole of the shoe, regardless of whether the insole be fiat or arched at the shank of the shoe.

The bottom or heel layer 16g is of a length so that its forward edge terminates at the forward end of the concavity of the heel portion of a shoe. Heel layer 16g is tapered to a thin edge at its forward end and is relatively thicker at its rearward portion whereby its upper planar face provides an angular incline from the bottom or sole of the elevator to the securing post 20, and the superposed layers 16a to 16]c conform in general to this angle of incline, the angularity of which is somewhat less than 90 degrees relative to the post 2l) and approximately degrees is efficient.

As is well known, shoes which have an elevated heel are constructed with a shank 13 providing an incline in the plane of the shank of the shoe sole between the breast of the heel and the ball of the shoe, and when the elevator of the present construction is conformed to the sole of the shoe, the shorter layers 16d, 156e and 16f adjacent the bottom of the elevator terminate at that portion of the shank 13 of the more nearly adjacent breast of the heel where there is very little, if any, incline to the shoe sole, whereas the longer upper layers 16a, 16b and 16e terminate forwardly at the ball portion 19 of the elevator which overlies the ball portion of the shoe which blends into the incline of the shank which is where the greatest portion of exibility is required. This provides a differential in aggregate thickness of the elevator and iiexibility thereof, which is or sole face portion of the several upper layers 16a, 16h and 16e, as compared with exposed sole face portions of the layers 16d, loe and lof adjacent the bottom of the elevator whereby stiff firm support by all layers 16a to 16j -s .provided for the elevator at the heel and that portion of the shank adjacent the breast of the heel where there is .relatively little bending, and provides a maximum amount of flexibility at the ball of the elevator where the foo't bends and the exposed sole faces of the superposed layers are longer and the number of overlying layers .is decreased.

The shaping of the elevator to conform to the shape of 'the interior and inner sole of the shoe where the sides and counter of the shoe joins the welt is facilitated by removing longitudinal portions of 'the side edge material at each side of the lower layers, as at 26 and 27, (see Fig. 2) and at the heel as at 2.8 (see Fig. 5). 'Such portions may be removed by grinding with any suitable grinding means well known in this art.

Since human feet are of differing shapes, some amount of adjustment will be made in contour of the elevator merely bythe constant pressure of the foot on the device within the shoe of the wearer, though oy tightly and tixedly securing the laminae or layers together at the heel by bolt they are compressed and tightly secured at the central portion of the heel and thus provide a preformed heel depression 29 to accommodate the contour of the foot underlying the heel bone. By constant wear of the elevator within a shoe, the heat and moisture of the foot will soften the leather to a degree whereby the peripheral portions of the layers are formed slightly upwardly around the central portion to form an upraised pleripheral rim 3a to more comfortably conform to the s oe.

YIt is to be understood, however, that if desired, the upper face of the elevator upon which the 'foot rests may be manually or mechanically preformed with an elongated depression therein.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and patentable is:

l. A laminated foot elevator for shoes said elevator having a length to include a rearward heel portion, a central shank portion and a forward ball portion, and said elevator comprising a plurality of superposed layers of flexible material, a binding bolt centrally of the rearward heel portion of the superposed layers and passing through each of said layers, said layers being relatively free for sliding relatively in superficial planar Contact from said binding bolt to the opposite forward end portion, said layers being inclined at an angle to the binding post therethrough, the superposed layers being graduated in length from the bottom layer to top layer, the shortest layer being at the heel and sole of the elevator, the forward free end portions of the layers being tapered to a 4thin edge, whereby the exposed faces lof the graduated length of the layers provide a sole face for the elevator, said shortest sole layers at the heel being of a length substantially equal to the length of the heel of a shoe and being tapered from its rear heel terminal end towards its opposite forward end and terminating at its forward end lin a relatively thin edge whereby its upper face is inclined relative to the binding post and thereby establishing an angle of incline of the superposed layers, the angle of incline and the relatively short lengths of those layers adjacent the bottom heel layer providing the sole face of the shank portion of the elevator for contacting the shank of the shoe forwardly of the breast of the heel, and said angle of incline and the relatively longer lengths of the upper layer and those layers adjacent thereto providing for sole faces contacting the ball of the shoe where the ball of the shoe blends into the incline of the shoe shank, whereby a substantially rigid support is provided at the bolted heel portion, a stiff support is provided at the ball portion.

2. A foot elevator device for placing within a shoe, and having the elements of claim l, the layers thereof being of substantially equal thickness throughout that portion of the length thereof which is removed from the taper forming the sole face portion of the respective layers.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 588,977 Gilbert Aug. 31, 1897 2,212,613 Messina Aug. 27, 1940 2,433,329 Adler et al Dec. 30, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 447,194 Great Britain May 1l, 1936 

